Note that KJ can take a solid minute to imply that they're matching but can't say it unequivocally. There's a reason for that.

They aren't matching and it's unlikely that they commit to do so. It's not easy to make money off of an NBA team in a middling market whose residents have little spending power with zero chance of the big bucks from an RSN. Putting down a $525m valuation ain't worth it, it'd be a charity move. Take into consideration that if they entered into a binding agreement with the Maloofs to match the offer if the Seattle bid is denied, they'd be doing so without a binding arena deal. They'd then own a grossly overpriced NBA team relative to its market and that city council would have a ton of leverage to work out a deal (keep in mind that they really haven't worked one out, just a list of ideas) in their favor.

This talk about stern trying to help sac is probably him just going through the motions in case things get ugly, he can say he did everything he could and doesn't look like he's completely abandoning sac.

I'm starting to think Kj is doing the same thing. If he appears to be busting his ass trying to save the team he'll be a hero to the people of Sacramento after the team leaves and keep getting elected.

I have a feeling this is all preemptive damage control and for the most part this is a done deal.

The Seattle group has done an amazing job doing EVERYTHING right and the sac group has done way too little way too late.

Uh on............Pink, don't tell me you are wavering too........ ou were the only one keeping me somewhat away from the ledge.

"It's a tough call but I agree. If Stern is not committed to just making sure the majority turns into an overwhelming consensus and is willing to go vote by vote to get his way, I think we lose. I do think the owners are all business, but I don’t think this will be a Stern v. BoG war, I think he can pry enough to give him a parting gift if this is all he really wants before retirement."

Blitzer88 wrote:Uh on............Pink, don't tell me you are wavering too........ ou were the only one keeping me somewhat away from the ledge.

"It's a tough call but I agree. If Stern is not committed to just making sure the majority turns into an overwhelming consensus and is willing to go vote by vote to get his way, I think we lose. I do think the owners are all business, but I don’t think this will be a Stern v. BoG war, I think he can pry enough to give him a parting gift if this is all he really wants before retirement."

NO. Don't you go on SonicsRising where I do my rollercoaster riding so I can come here and be a good Sonics-father to you!

I do think Stern can pull this off if he wants his legacy to be a contentious fight to keep a team in a poor economic market just because it was his pet project. If he wants to fall on his sword and alienate a great ownership group just to play hero in his final year, even though he'd take a ton of flack for screwing Seattle underhandedly again, I think he probably has enough clout to pull in the favors to get only 8 owners to go that way.

I don't think he will. I think he can be talked out of trying this, I'm not even sure he's committed to going all the way in this, just that if he prefers to be a commissioner that goes out in a blaze of glory pissing off most of his league's owners, I think he might be able to pull it off. He might also be asked to resign by the NBA for interfering and acting as an agent of the Sacramento investor group.

So, do I think Stern could call in enough favors to keep the team in Sacramento if he's willing to bet his entire reputation on it? Sure.

But you know what I believe is more likely? That I'm buying my boy Blitzer a beer at a Sonics game this year.

"And so - whether Sacramento or any team - it's going to be up to somebody to go in there and acquire the team, and then make an application to move the team to Seattle. What I can tell you is I can't imagine any owner standing in the way of that. … I'd be shocked if any owner stood up and said that was a bad idea."

What I will always cling to; Owners don't want to be told what to do by other Owners.

This is not like the vote to approve the Sonics to OKC (when Cuban and Allen voted "no" or abstained from voting) due to the fact that this is a clear-cut move that drives up the value of the NBA as a product. Sacramento is the 11th most valuable team in the NBA; should the owners deny Hansen and his group, they are voting down the value of their own franchises.

Balmer, Hanson and Nordstrom are not buying the team as a sound business move... it's definitely leaning towards "sports charity" and that is why Sacramento is having such a hard time. I view this exactly the same when Balmer offer Bennett and his group $350 for the Sonics contingent of getting the city and country to transfer the Arena tax to extend to KeyArena. A last ditch effort that is good in theory, but not based on any true backing.

sammyc521 wrote:What I will always cling to; Owners don't want to be told what to do by other Owners.

This is not like the vote to approve the Sonics to OKC (when Cuban and Allen voted "no" or abstained from voting) due to the fact that this is a clear-cut move that drives up the value of the NBA as a product. Sacramento is the 11th most valuable team in the NBA; should the owners deny Hansen and his group, they are voting down the value of their own franchises.

Balmer, Hanson and Nordstrom are not buying the team as a sound business move... it's definitely leaning towards "sports charity" and that is why Sacramento is having such a hard time. I view this exactly the same when Balmer offer Bennett and his group $350 for the Sonics contingent of getting the city and country to transfer the Arena tax to extend to KeyArena. A last ditch effort that is good in theory, but not based on any true backing.

Boom!

-salute-

I can't wait to watch KJs presser on the 19th conceding, god that's gonna be beautiful!

As someone who isnt really a sonic fan (no not really a blazer fan much either, since the jail blazer years i began to lose intrest. Then they signed with comcast, which made it so my part of the state couldnt see the games) it seems to me the Sactown people are blowing smoke. KJ continues to talk a good game, but yet he won't really say what the offer is and how they plan to purchase the land for the arena. In fact if they do keep the team, I won't be shocked to never see this arena built.

It seems the Hansen group has been very forthright about the offer and new arena. Again from a spot of casual observer, the Seattle guys have there stuff together a lot more the sac people. In an ideal world I would want to see both city's get to have an NBA team, but if the owners have to choose I don't see at this point how Seattle doesn't get the team.

pinksheets wrote:Note that KJ can take a solid minute to imply that they're matching but can't say it unequivocally. There's a reason for that.

They aren't matching and it's unlikely that they commit to do so. It's not easy to make money off of an NBA team in a middling market whose residents have little spending power with zero chance of the big bucks from an RSN. Putting down a $525m valuation ain't worth it, it'd be a charity move. Take into consideration that if they entered into a binding agreement with the Maloofs to match the offer if the Seattle bid is denied, they'd be doing so without a binding arena deal. They'd then own a grossly overpriced NBA team relative to its market and that city council would have a ton of leverage to work out a deal (keep in mind that they really haven't worked one out, just a list of ideas) in their favor.

That's a great point. If the highest-valued team in history is in Seattle with Hanson's already-approved Temple of Solomon, that's one thing, but if its' the half-ass Kings without an arena, the owners are absolutely screwed. This friday demand feels like a very carefully concieved power move by high-level corporate lawyers who know precisely what the stakes are for the Sac group.

Seems fair that if the NBA turns down the bid for the Kings that they somehow make up for the good faith effort Hansen/Balmer folks made with the non-refundable $30M. All this could be just to firm up the Sac group's offer so that there are no questions if the BoG decide to turn down the sale. Just like the Maloof's request for a firm, in writing offer sheet to them that they have as a backup offer.

This is a unique situation where a second competing offer is in play instead of a straight yes/no on a group purchasing a team. Usually the BoG just reviews a sale on its merits alone. This Sac/NBA option should have been viewed on its own merit but the owner chose not to work with the locals and the NBA is trying to save face after the disaster that was OKC/Seattle relocation approval.

I consider these recent actions just due diligence and not totally tied to how the BoG and owners are leaning as far as approving/rejecting the Hansen deal. The Stern/NBA split story could be misreading actions vs intent as well.

I'm not liking that at all, all of a sudden the NBA wants to be charitable? and shut your punk ass face, Sac!

You have got to be kidding me.......NBA is against us again!

And even better, that 7% seems to be going to the Kings:Chris Daniels ‏@ChrisDaniels5 49mMT @kcrabienick: Bankruptcy trustee expects to complete deal today w/Lucchetti for Cook 7% share of #nbakings. Would supersede Hansen deal.

Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

I just heard that, the best thing about it is that we have owners on our side right now, and Stern may not have the pull that he once had.

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

How much pull is it really though? The toad is on his way out next season, how much does Stern scare these guys?

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

How much pull is it really though? The toad is on his way out next season, how much does Stern scare these guys?

He's only got to have pull with eight of them... that is what concerns me.

Seahawk Sailor wrote:At this point in time, the Kings/Sonics team is Schrödinger's cat, and Stern is the single decaying atom in the box.

Hahaha relevant.

Glad somebody got it.

Lords of Scythia wrote:

Seahawk Sailor wrote:At this point in time, the Kings/Sonics team is Schrödinger's cat, and Stern is the single decaying atom in the box.

Are you expostulating the team could potentially become both the Sonics AND the Kings?

No. Only that right now the team exists, as does the hypothetical Schrödinger's cat, in two distinct realities, both as the Kings and as the Sonics. From now until the meeting on the 18th/19th, the team is in limbo, status unknown, equally Kings and Sonics at the same time. And Stern is the single decaying atom in the box that decides the fate. There is no way of knowing that fate until after the meetings adjourn.

"The ultimate number is W's, and that’s what matters in Santa Clara. As such, Jed York does not own the 49ers; Russell Wilson does." - Paul Gutierrez

It does not make any $$ sense for the Kings to stay. The owners share the media monies. Seattle is a much larger market both corporate HQ and media. Money talks and in the end IMO that is all the owners will care about.

IMHO, if this thing goes past NEXT friday (not tomorrow the one after that), expansion will happen and soon. IMO it makes sense to let the Seattle group have the Kings and give the Sac group a year to come up with a real true BINDING OFFER and a BINDING new arena deal that is rock solid that isnt built on the house of cards that the current Sac deal is. If the sac group cames up with a solid binding offer and binding new arena deal then they get an expansion team and only miss a season.

Source: Sacramento could have a harder time keeping Kevin Johnson than keeping the Kings at this point. As itstands, if the current Sacramento group matches the essential elements of the agreement with the group in Seattle, the league committee weighing the two offers is expected to recommend keeping the Kings where they are....

All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Aros wrote:All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Pretty much.

Just one more week, and its all resolved, either we're getting our hearts broke again or we're dancing in the streets celebrating the return making our sports scene whole again.